Background: Crohn's disease (CD) strictures of the small intestine are a feared complication and difficult to treat because of difficulty gaining access to the stricture site. The development of double-balloon endoscopy (DBE) enabled access to the entire small intestine with interventional capabilities. The aim of this study was to assess the long-term outcomes in patients with small intestinal strictures secondary to CD after DBE-assisted endoscopic balloon dilation (EBD).
Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, DBE-assisted EBD was performed in 85 consecutive patients with CD strictures of the small intestine from 2002 to 2014. Follow-up data were available for 85 patients for a mean of 41.9 months (range, 0-141), and clinical outcomes were assessed.
Results: Overall, 321 DBE-assisted EBD sessions (473 procedures) were performed in 85 patients during the study period. Most CD strictures were de novo (97%). The surgery-free rate after initial DBE-assisted EBD was 87.3% at 1 year and 78.1% at 3 years. The presence of a fistula was significantly associated with the need for surgical intervention (hazard ratio = 5.50, 95% confidence interval: 2.16-14.0, P < 0.01). The surgery-free interval in patients with a fistula was significantly shorter than in patients without a fistula (P < 0.01, log-rank test).
Conclusions: DBE-assisted EBD provides a favorable long-term outcome in patients with small intestinal CD-associated strictures. DBE-assisted EBD for CD strictures is a safe and effective treatment to avoid or postpone surgery over the long-term.